Smarts
by TracyLeeT
Summary: Young Hoss needs a little convincing, and his brothers are there for him every step of the way.


**SMARTS**

One by one, the pile of rocks and pebbles dwindled down to a handful. Each one found its new resting place among the thick silt at the bottom of Lake Tahoe. Some, thrown in anger and rage, drifted with purpose through the water, its currents washing away traces of its former home. Others, thrown with sadness and hurt, floated lightly, forever wearing tiny bits of life left behind. Yet, on the surface, each one created a picture of stillness, shattered by sudden impact; the promise of a constant, broadening change.

Hoss wished he could be one of those pebbles, tossed into the lake, letting the soothing waters cleanse away traces of the day. He wanted to be one of the ripples left behind on the surface, staying the same, but expanding and spreading its boundaries.

"I thought I might find you here," Adam said, startling Hoss.

"Dadburnit, Adam! Ya half about scared ten years off me!"

Adam grinned, plopped down next to his brother and helped himself to a handful of stones. "Sorry!"

Hoss pulled his knees closer to his chest and wrapped his arms around his legs. Adam tossed several more rocks, content with simply spending time with his troubled brother, but hoping Hoss might open up and confide in him.

"Did Pa send ya?" Hoss asked, staring at his knees, his voice barely a whisper.

"Nope."

"Then how'dya know?"

Adam dropped his stones and brushed his hands together. Staring straight ahead into the clear blue water, he snatched a piece of brush and peeled the outer skin.

"Joe told me," he replied as he stuck the cleaned piece of straw into the left side of his mouth. "He's worried about you."

"Well, sometimes Lil Joe oughta keep his trap shut."

Adam leaned back against a grouping of rocks, his hands clasped behind his head. Slowly, the straw moved from the left corner of his mouth to the right.

"You wanna talk?"

Hoss grabbed the brim of his hat, lifted it and tossed it aside. He ran a hand through his soft, brown hair.

"If I'da wanted ta talk, I'da stayed at the house!"

"Then we won't talk," Adam said, crossing his ankles and pulling his black hat down to shield his eyes.

Hoss heard a small flock of birds singing their way across the path behind him and over the edge of the lake and back. He didn't look. He heard a frog leap into the water nearby. He didn't look.

Adam knew then that, without a doubt, what had happened that day at school had upset Hoss deeply. He also knew his brother well enough to sit quietly and wait.

Several minutes later, Hoss rested his chin atop his knees.

"Adam…do you think I'm dumb?"

Adam sat up, tossed the straw toward the water, squinted his eyes in the sunshine, and looked directly at Hoss.

"No, I do not."

"The kids at school do," Hoss said, still staring straight at the water. "Everyone of them . . . 'cept fer Joe."

"You wanna tell me what happened?"

Hoss hesitated. "I reckon I do."

Adam paused. "I'm list'nin'."

Hoss lingered in silence again, and Adam was patient, as always.

"We was doin' figurin', 'n' you know I ain't real good at figurin'…I guess Mr. Arnold got tired o' waitin' fer me ta git the answer, so he called on Clyde Johnson 'n' he rattled the answer right off."

Hoss kicked with his heels at the loose dirt around his feet.

"I knew the answer, Adam. It was forty nine. Seven times seven is forty nine. It jist takes me longer ta cipher numbers. I usu'lly git the right answer, it jist takes a while. When I tried ta explain that ta Mr. Arnold, the kids all laughed 'n' called me a dummy. All 'cept fer Joe."

Adam clenched his teeth. _If I had been there . . ._

"What did you do?" Adam asked.

"Nothin'. I jist sat there. Mr. Arnold moved on ta s'more problems 'n' then we started readin'. And things got worse. When it was my turn ta read, I did good. Real good, Adam! I read a perty long paragraph 'n' didn't make no mistakes or nothin'. I looked over 'n' Joe was smilin' at me."

Hoss exhaled heavily.

"Then I got ta the last sentence 'n' it had this word I ain't never seen before. So I did like you taught me, Adam. I sounded out the letters and everyone giggled. It was one of them . . . What did you call them? . . . Oh, yeah, exception words."

Adam smiled, gladdened that Hoss was using his teachings.

"What was the word, Hoss?"

"C-O-L-O-N-E-L. And before I could say it three times to git it right, like you taught me, Mr. Arnold said it the right way 'n' everyone called me dumb again."

"Hey, you two! Why didn't someone tell me you were going to the lake?" Joe called as he ran up from behind and slid in between his brothers.

"Hoss and I were just sitting and talking," Adam answered, not sure if Hoss wanted to include their little brother in the discussion.

"It's okay, Adam. We was talkin' about what happened at school taday. How everyone thinks I'm a dummy."

Joe shook his head. "Hoss, like I told ya on the way home, you are not a dummy. You're not even close! Tell, him, Adam. I'm right, aren't I?"

"Joe is right, Hoss," Adam assured. "Everyone has things that they're really good at and things that they aren't so good at. Like me . . ."

"Adam, you're the smartest fella I know. You're good at everything!"

"Maybe I didn't say what I meant. There are things that I can do, but I am not the fastest at them. Like shoeing a horse. I can do it, but you've seen how long it takes me!"

Hoss smiled. "I reckon there was that one time I nearly got all four done on that sorrel we had afore you could get one done!"

"That's right," Adam agreed. "And what about last spring when Pa let us work up in the north pasture with the hands rounding up the strays? You had a feel for where those cows might have strayed off to. You found more than some of our best hands!"

Joe added his best example. "Hoss, you practically taught the whole class how to build snares and where to place them that day the teacher was sick. Some of the fellas are still talking about that."

"I guess I did at that," Hoss said, his voice gaining a little energy.

Joe continued. "I reckon with all the things you've taught me, you're one of the smartest people I know."

"You've taught me a lot, too, Hoss," Adam added. "Most of the time, I'm too busy and focused to enjoy what I'm doing, and you've taught me it's better to slow down and take pleasure from things. Hoss, in many ways, you are the smartest boy I know."

Hoss melted into silence. He remembered his pa telling him that there were two kinds of smarts; book smarts and life smarts. He'd said that no one could be happy unless they had a little of both. _I guess Pa was right._

Adam and Joe caught each other's eyes. Joe nodded and Adam winked. Before Hoss could react, his older brother and his younger brother had lifted him off the ground and tossed him into the lake, boots and all.

"Dadburn, you two! I'm gonna climb up outta here 'n' pound you . . ."

Before he could finish, Adam and Joe sprinted toward the lake and jumped in right next to him. The brothers dunked and wrestled, laughed and screamed until the sun told them it was time to head for home.


End file.
